Blackraw — Blackraw

Located just SE of the summit of a small NW-SE drumlin ridge, and overlooking Blackraw and Greagh Loughs that are now combined in to one lake, the E end of which is c. 200m to the S. This is a subcircular grass-covered area (dims 36.4m E-W; 32m N-S) defined by an earthen bank (Wth of base c. 6m; int. H 0.9-1.5m; ext. H c. 3-4m) separated by a fosse (Wth of top c. 9m) from an outer earthen bank (at N: Wth of base 4m; int. H 1.5m; ext. H 1.4m) that is incorporated into a field bank ESE-SW, replaced by a stone wall SW-WNW and has a field bank on top of it NW-N. A field bank also sits on top of the inner edge of the outer bank NE-ESE. The entrance through the inner (Wth of base 4.1m) and outer (Wth of base 6.3m) banks and a causeway (Wth of top 4.8m; H 0.45m) is at NNE. A depression (dims 12.7m NNE-SSW; 3.1m E-W; D 1m) extending from the centre to the bank at NNW could be a collapsed souterrain although no stone is visible, and there is a circular hollow (diam. 6m; D 0.4m) inside the bank at S. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Monaghan' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1986). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of revision: 23 February 2018